Roseanne Arnold Says She Will Leave ABC

By BILL CARTER

Published: April 23, 1993

Roseanne Arnold, who has been waging a war of nerves and words against her television network, stepped up the conflict yesterday, declaring that her relationship with ABC was "absolutely over."

Ms. Arnold, whose show "Roseanne," which just completed the television season as the second-ranked show in prime time, after CBS's "60 Minutes," said network executives had repeatedly lied to her about when they would decide the future of "The Jackie Thomas Show," another comedy she produces. That show stars Ms. Arnold's husband, Tom Arnold.

As a result of "being treated with disrespect," Ms. Arnold said in a telephone interview, she will take "Roseanne," the most watched entertainment show in television over the last five years, to another network after one more year, which is the earliest her contract allows. She also said she would cancel a deal with ABC for four future series. 'We'll Be Partners'

In addition, Ms. Arnold said, she will talk to other networks about creating a new series for Mr. Arnold. Talks with CBS and the producers Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and Harry Thomason about a new comedy for Mr. Arnold have already been held, Ms. Arnold said.

"We'll be partners on that show," Ms. Arnold said. "And if CBS treats me well, I'll remember that when they come to talk to me about where I move 'Roseanne.' " She said, however, she would also talk to executives at both NBC and Fox about "Roseanne" after next season.

ABC has a contract with the producers of "Roseanne," Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner, for one more year. Ms. Arnold has also signed with Carsey-Werner for two more years, but she said the producers would not prevent her from moving the series to a different network after next season. "I have a great relationship with Tom and Marcy," Ms. Arnold said. Ms. Carsey said yesterday that her company "respects the feelings of our creative partners," but that the company would live up to its contractual obligations with ABC. She declined to elaborate. A Deal in Limbo

Robert A. Iger, the president of ABC, said this week that the network had reached agreement with the Arnolds for exclusive rights to the next television series they produce or star in. But Ms. Arnold, speaking from her vacation home in Iowa, said: "That deal is on our desk in Los Angeles. I will refuse to sign it. Why should I be in business with people who lie to me?"

Ms. Arnold threatened to pull "Roseanne" off ABC during an appearance on NBC's "Tonight" show two weeks ago. She said yesterday that Mr. Iger was "furious with me for going on television that way because I had embarrassed him." She said she also spoke with Mr. Iger yesterday to ask him one last time if he would give her a yes or no about the future of "Jackie Thomas."

"He told he couldn't make the decision on those terms," Ms. Arnold said, adding that Mr. Iger, using a vulgarity she says demeans women, said he would look weak in front of his peers and the news media if he renewed "Jackie Thomas" after Ms. Arnold's public pressure.

"I believe it's sexism," Ms. Arnold said. "When he said that, it was like saying, 'Let's not let her into the boys' club.' " She added that male producers of ABC shows were not treated the same way, citing shows like "Coach" and "Full House" as examples of hit shows with producers whose other projects were given special consideration.

Through a spokeswoman, Mr. Iger declined to comment on Ms. Arnold's version of his statements to her. On Tuesday, Mr. Iger said, "This is not anything we wanted to negotiate in public, not that there's a negotiation going on." He said ABC had a contractual right to wait until late May to decide whether to renew "Jackie Thomas" for next season. "We'll use the time we have to make the right decision," he said. Rating for 'Jackie Thomas'

"Jackie Thomas" finished the season as the 16th highest rated show in television, an excellent ranking. But it followed "Roseanne" on Tuesday nights and lost about a quarter of that show's vast audience. As Mr. Iger put it, Tuesday night is crucial for ABC's overall performance, and a network always wants to keep an option open to find a new show that may perform better than one already on the air.

Ms. Arnold said her anger with ABC had grown over the last two years, beginning with the network's decision to drop "Little Rosie," an animated Saturday morning children's show she produced. "Any other network would reward the producer and star of their No. 1 show, not penalize them," she said.

Ms. Arnold said "Jackie Thomas" had been poorly handled by ABC from the beginning. But mainly, she said, she was hurt and upset by the lack of support that the show, which she called her "greatest creative work," received from ABC executives.

Ms. Arnold said she went on the "Tonight" show to force ABC to comply with a promise the network had made to her and Mr. Arnold to let them know whether the network would renew "Jackie Thomas" by April 15, when they planned to leave for Iowa.

Even with her displeasure with the network, Ms. Arnold conceded that ABC still had the right to renew "Jackie Thomas" in May. If that happens, she said, she would consider agreeing to that show's renewal "only if it was written in front of 10,000 lawyers and notary publics."